


Roses Down His Spine

by afailureofheart



Series: A Rose by Any Other Name [2]
Category: One Direction
Genre: Flower Child Harry, M/M, Punk Louis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-20
Packaged: 2017-12-20 20:45:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/891662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afailureofheart/pseuds/afailureofheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis is having trouble being open about his relationship, but there's nothing more honest than the sting of the tattoo needle on Harry's blank skin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Roses Down His Spine

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second installment of A Rose by Any Other Name. I don't recommend reading it unless you've read the first one. I hope you like it. 
> 
> Disclaimer: This is all fiction and all mistakes are my own.

It had been a slow day at the shop. Louis and Zayn had been sitting around mostly, drawing stupid designs and trying to come up with new fonts.

“I swear though, if one more person orders Chinese calligraphy, I’m gonna snap.” Zayn said flipping idly through the font book.

“I know mate. Half the time I’m probably writing limp noodle instead of patience and strength.” Louis laughed. “Good thing they’ll never know.”

“Yeah, until they meet a Chinese person who starts laughing at them.”

The bell rang over the door and both boys sat up automatically, trying to make it appear as if they had been doing something besides shooting the breeze.

“Oh it’s only Harry.” Zayn sighed relieved, when he recognized the curly mop coming towards them.

“Hi lads” Harry grinned at the two boys. He walked up to Louis giving him a big hug, engulfing him in a cloud of lavender and something else Louis could only describe as Harry.

“Oh come on you can do better than that.” Zayn snorted. “You two have been dating for 2 months now, you can kiss hello at least.”

Harry looked hopefully at Louis, but Louis averted his eyes.

“Whatever I’m going for lunch.” Zayn said finally leaving the two other boys alone.

They sat in silence for a few moments.

“You can kiss me now if you want.” Louis said quietly.

Harry sighed and gave him a quick peck. Louis knew that Harry was upset with him, but he couldn’t help that he was uncomfortable with public displays of affection. Since he was a kid he just wasn’t the lovey type, but of course Harry was.

Personal boundaries meant nothing to him. He hugged and kissed everyone he met without a second thought, but Louis wasn’t Harry. He had a hard time letting Harry even kiss him in front of Zayn.

“So what brings you to our lovely shop?” Louis asked, trying to break the tension.

“Well, I actually came because I wanted a tattoo.” Harry said with a grin, as if nothing had happened.

That was Harry. Even when things upset him he shrugged them off almost instantly. In Harry’s world nothing wasn’t rainbows and smiles for more than 5 minutes. That’s why he and Louis worked so well together. Louis was all snide comments and sarcastic looks and Harry was all big smiles and kind words. They just fit.

“What did you have in mind babe?” Louis asked, now genuinely curious. The last tattoo Louis had done for Harry was his butterfly the day they met. Since then Harry had gotten a few more, but they were just doodles done by friends, nothing that would require Louis’ skills.

“I want a line of roses going down my spine.” He answered in an excited voice. Handing him a piece of paper with 5 intricate roses draw on it in black and white.

Louis smiled. Of course Harry would get the one flower tattooed down his back that Louis associated with him most.

“Roses down your spine, like the roses in your cheeks.” Louis said softly to himself.

Harry had already busied himself taking off his shirt and situating himself on the chair. Louis started assembling all of his materials. He took the rubbing alcohol and smoothed it down Harry’s back. The cold making the muscles in Harry’s back twitch.

Since Louis didn’t have a stencil prepared he had to trace them on by hand. With each stroke of his pen the flowers began to blossom on the pale expanse of Harry’s back. As the design grew bigger all Louis could think of were Harry’s cheeks flooding and blossoming with red. When he started in with his tattoo gun Harry barely flinched.

Louis had always admired his high tolerance for pain. It was ironic really, how each time Louis had gotten a new tattoo he had cringed and winced, but Harry was always calm and quiet. Louis liked to think he was tough with his piercings and tattered clothes, but he knew from experience that all the places where Harry got his tattoos done were the most painful, and he really admired him for that. It was as if all of Harry’s light and love made him able to handle things Louis couldn’t.  

“You okay?” Louis asked. Harry mumbled a quiet confirmation. They stayed like this, Harry very still and Louis working diligently at the design, for two hours until it was finished.

“Would you take a picture of it for me?” Harry asked, once Louis finished.

“Of course. Why five? Roses I mean.” Louis responded. It had been bothering him.

“One for every letter in your name, because you’re like flowers Lou. You blossom and bloom and wilt. You’re unique and imperfect and you’ll never know how beautiful you are. Now you are forever inked on my skin.”

Louis was speechless.

“I love you Lou, and it’s okay for you to love me too.”


End file.
